Car-brake-operating mechanism.



T. H. McCAULEY.

CAR BRAKE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION mu) NOV. 16. 1917.

1,285,281 Patented Nov. 19, 1918,

T. H. MCCAULEY.

CAR BRAKE OPERATING MECHAMSM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. 1912.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ventor Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT 'FFTCE.

THOMAS HENRY MCGAULEY, OF CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA.

CAR-BRAKE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed November 16, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS'HENRY Mc- GAULEY, a citizen of the Dominionof Can ada, residing at Calgary, in the Province of Alberta and Dominionof Canada, have in vented a new and useful Car-Brake-Operat ingMechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a brakeoperating mechanism for street cars and like vehicles, and the inventionaims to provide novel means whereby, when the brakes are released,energy may be stored up in a spring, to facilitate a quick setting ofthe brakes.

It is within the province of the disclosure. to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds the invention resides in the combination andarrangement .ofparts andin the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Figure 1 shows in front elevation, a brake setting mechanism embodyingthe improvements hereinafter described;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig.1;

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation showing a modified form of the invention,parts appearing in section; and

Fig; 5 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 .the numeral 1 denotes the floor of, acar. Fixed to and rising from the floor 1 is a post 2, a back plate 3being attached to the post. A standard i is spaced from the post 2 andis connected to the back plate 3 by means of cross bolts 5 and 6. Theparts above alluded to constitute a supporting structure for variousmovable elements to be described hereinafter.

A horizontal main shaft 7 isjournaled for rotation in the post 2, theback plate 3 and the standard 4, the shaft 7 carrying at one end a handwheelS. A drum 9 is mounted Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Serial No. 202,333.

to move with the hand wheel 8 with the shaft7. An endless chain or belt10 is trained around the drum and around a sheave 1 1 -journaled at 12on a foot plate 14: attached by securing elements 15 to the post 2, sothat the vertical position of the sheave 11 may be changed, the chainbelt 10 being loosened or tightened as a consequence.

At 16 there appears an upright guide in the form of a rod, the lower end17 of the guide being attached to the floor 1. The upper end of theguide 16 .is fashioned into a U-shaped handle 18 attached as shown at 19in Fig. 3 to the post 2. A traveler 34 is mounted to reciprocatevertically on the guide 16 and is provided with a laterally extendedpedal 35 to which a dog 36 is pivoted as shown at 37 the dog beingforked or otherwise constructed at its free end to cooperate adjustablyand releasably with one run of, the chain belt 10.

The numeral 20 denotes a casing through which the main shaft 7 passes,the casing having lateral ears 21 mounted on the bolts 6 and heldthereto by set screws 22 or otherwise. Disposed within the casing 20 isa coiled spring 23, one end of which is secured to the main shaft 7, theother end of which is secured as shown at 24 to the casing 20.

A pinion 25 is secured to the main shaft 7 between the casing 20 and theback plate 3 and meshes into a combined gear and ratchet wheel 26'carrying a drum 27, the wheel and the drum being journaled on a shaft 28mounted in the post 2 and the standard 4. The numeral 29 indicates aspacer on the shaft 28. and interposed between the drum 27 and thestandard 4 so as to hold the gear wheel26 in ,mesh with the pinion 25,the spacer being in the form of a hub on the drum 27, if desired. Oneend of a flexible element 30 is attached as shown at 31 to the drum27,the flexible element extending downwardly through the floor 1 and arounda direction changing idler 32 journaled on a frame 33 carried by thefloor. Thev flexible element 30 is operatively connected, in any desiredmanner, with the brakes (not shown).

A pawl 38 is pivoted at 39. to the back plate 3 and is adapted tocooperate with the combined gear and ratchet wheel 26, the pawl beinglocated below said wheel, and being somounted that it tends to gravitateout of engagement, with the wheel. An angu- {Ali lar rod l is pivoted tothe pawl 38 and is mounted to slide in one or more. guides on the post2. The lower end of the rod ell) is pivoted to a lever 42 fulcruined at,d3 on the post 2. A strip 4st is attached one edge of the post '2 and isprovided with an upstanding end d5, constituting a guide for directingthe foot of an operator upon. the pedal of lever A rod 4:6 is pivoted tothe pawl 38 and carries, at its lower end, coacting adjusting nuts ii. Areleasing rod 48 is mounted to slide vertically in guides 49 on the post2 and is provided at its up per end with a handle 50. An abutment l issecured to the rod 48, a compression spring surrounding a port-ion ofthe rod 48, one end of the spring engaging the abutment 51, and theother end of the spring engaging one of the guides 49. The lower end ofthe rod 5:8 is supplied with alaterally extended eye 53 through whichthe rod 4:6 passes slidably, the nuts l? on the rod to being disposedbelow the eye A pawl 5% is pivoted at on to the back plate 3 andcoiiperates with the combined gear and ratchet wheel 26, the pawl beinglocated below the said wheel, and being so mounted that it tends togravitate out of engagement with the wheel. fin angular rod 56 ispivoted to the pawl 5a and entends downwardly to a pedal or lever 57, towhich the rod is pivoted, the pedal being fulcrumed as shown at 58 onthe post In practical operation, the person operatingthe mechanismhereinbefore described steadies himself by grasping the handle 18. Thepedal 35 is pushed downwardly by foot pressure, the traveler 34tmovingdownwardly on the guide 16. When the pedal 35 is thrust downwardly, thedog 36, coactina' with the chain belt 10, causes the chain belt to rideover the sheave 11 and rotate the main shaft 7 and the hand wheel 8, bymeans of the drum 9. il hen the main shaft '7 rotated as abovedescribed, the pinion is rotated, the same imparting rotation to thegear wheel 26 and the drum 2?, the flexible element 30 being operated,and the brakes being released. l lhen the shaft 7 is rotated, asaforesaid, the spring 23 is wound up and put under tension, energy thusbeingstored, to be used in setting the brakes quickly. in order to holdthe tension thus secured in the spring 23, the pedal Or lever isdepressed, raising the rod to and causing the pawl 38 to coact with thecombined gear and ratchet wheel l l hen the pawl 38 is raised as abovedescribed, the rod ll) slides through the eye 53 on the rod until thenuts 7 are disposed closely below the eye. 7

lVhen it is desired to set the brakes, the pawl 88 is released from thegear and ratchet wheel 96. This operation may be brought about by givingthe hand wheel 8 a slight turn or jar; but ordinarily, the rod i8 isslid downwardly by means of the handle 50, the eye 58 on the rodcoacting with the nuts l? on the rod 46, and the latter element servingto draw the pawl 38 out of en 'agement with the combined gear andratchet wheel 26. lVhen the wheel 26 is free, as above described, thespring 22-5 reacts on; the shaft T and rotates the drum 2'? by means ofthe pinion and the gear wheel 26, the chain or flexible element beingactuated to set the brakes, the operation above described taking placewith great. rapidity. if desired, the hand wheel 8 may be given a turnor two to set up the brakes tightly, in case the desired friction hasnot been produced by the action of the coiled spring If it is desired tohold the brake pressure, then the pedal 57 is tilted, the rod 56 raisingthe pawl and moving the same into engagement with the wheel 26. The pawl5% may be disengaged from the wheel 26 by giving the hand wheel 8 aslight turn. In the modified form shown in Figs. i and 5, the numeral 59marks a tl-shaped post corresponding to the post 2. A vertical mainshaft 60, represented in Fig. 3 by the part 7, is journaled in the post59. A spring casing is shown at 61, the function of the part 20 beingrecalled. A frame 62 is mounted on the post 59. Journaled in the frame62 is a horizontal shaft 63 carrying a hand wheel 65 and a drum 64;. Achain belt is trained around the drum 6%- and corresponds with the chainbelt 10. The shafts 63 and 60 are operatively connected by inltermeshingbeveled pinions 66, a ratchet wheel 67 being secured to the shaft Theratchet wheel 67 cooperates with a dog 68 corresponding to the part 38,the dog being operated by means of a rod 69 corresponding to the rod d6,but extended downwardly for engagement with a pedal (not shown). Thenumeral '70 denotes a rod like the rod 4:8 hereinbefore described andhaving an eye 71 through which the rod 69 passes, there being anabutment 72 on the rod 69 and adapted to coact with the eye 71. At T8there appears a dog which is fulcrumed on th frame 62, the dog 73 havingthe functions of the dog 5% hereinbefore descrioed. The dog 73 iscontrolled by a rod 7 represented in Fig. 3 by the rod 56. The guide 76has the functions of the guide 16 of Fig. 1.

The operation of the structure last above described does not dilfermaterially from the operation of the structure first set forth in thisspecification, minor changes having been made int order that the shaft60 may be disposed vertically, it being observed that the shaft- '4' ishorizontally disposed in Fig. 1.

will be understood that the traveler B l may be raised and lowered, itbeing possible to engage the dog 36 with one run of the chain belt 10,at any desired height. In this way, the vertical throw of the pedal 35may be regulated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a deviceof the class described, a support; a main shaft j ournaled therein!; anidler on the support; a belt trained around the shaft and the idler; aguide; a traveler mounted to reciprocate on the guide;an adjustableconnection between the traveler and one run of the belt; a spring; meansfor securing one end of the spring; means for operatively connecting theother end of the spring with the shaft whereby the spring will betensioned when the traveler is operated; means for holding the shaftreleasably against rotation under the action of the spring; and a brakesetting mechanism controlled by the shaft. 7

2. In a device of the class described, a support; a main shaft journaledtherein; an idler on the support; a belt trained around the main shaftand around the idler; a guide; a traveler mounted to reciprocate on theguide; an adjustable connection between the traveler and one run of thebelt; a spring; means for securing one end of the spring; means forconnecting the other end of the spring with the main shaft whereby thespring will be tensioned when the traveler is operated; a gear wheeljournaled on the support; brake setting mechanism operatively connectedwith the gear wheel; a pinion on the main shaft and meshing into thegear wheel; and individually operable pawls carried by the support andcoacting with the gear wheel to limit the rotation thereof in oppositedirections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS HENRY McCAULEY.

Witnesses:

J. W. WATSON, F. M. GREEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

